Tonight the Bruins will take on the Carolina Hurricanes on the road for what could be the biggest game of the series. With the series tied at 2-2, tonight’s winner can shift the momentum into their favor. Carolina won the first two games of the series at home before Boston took games three and four on their home ice at TD Garden. The Bruins are looking to break the trend of the home team winning in this series.
While it was already known that Charlie McAvoy was going to miss game five after missing game four due to Covid protocols. Many thought Hampus Lindholm would make his return for game five after missing game four due to an injury. Lindholm participated in practice after game four, but he didn’t travel to Carolina with the team. The Bruins will now be without their two top defensemen as they look to steal a game on the road.
In their absence, the Bruins will dig deep into their depth as they must depend on Mike Reilly and Josh Brown to fill the two vacancies. Both players filled in for game four, which resulted in a 5-2 Bruins win. Hopefully, they can repeat the same success.
Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk will man Boston’s top pairing once again as the pressure is on them to step it up truly. Reilly and Brown will slot in on the second pairing as they bring a combination of size for Brown and offensive abilities for Reilly. Brown will be a key in keeping Carolina in check as the big bruiser has the ability to fight and deliver massive hits. Rounding out, the defenseman will be pairing Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton. Forbort has been a critical part of the Bruin’s defensive turnaround these last two games, as Bruce Cassidy and the team will depend on him once again tonight.
As far as the forward group goes, Cassidy will be rolling with what has worked the last two games. The perfection line will remain intact, while Trent Frederic will be a healthy scratch for the third straight game. Chris Wagner has been a breath of fresh air on the fourth line as him, and Curtis Lazar is playing Bruins hockey.
Once again, look for the combination of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak to lead the way and set the tone. Jeremy Swayman will make his third straight start as he looks to start his playoff career going 3-0-0.
Tonight’s game will have puck drop at 7pm EST in Carolina. At the moment Carolina is favored with a -150 money-line and the over/under is set at 6 goals with the over at +100 and the under -120.
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